


words we've long held back

by promisin



Series: reach out (and hold back) [2]
Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: All the soft galios, Found Family, Lio whump, M/M, Post-Canon, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:14:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21778891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/promisin/pseuds/promisin
Summary: Preventing the Earth from exploding into a ball of fire is the easiest part of saving the world, unfortunately.We don't have to be anything if you don't want to,Galo replied, but Lio did and does;I want there to be an us, a Galo-and-Lio. I just,he tried, unable to form words.That's okay too,he had pulled Lio close, finally, letting Lio bury his face in his chest.It doesn't have to be now.
Relationships: Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Series: reach out (and hold back) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1563964
Comments: 28
Kudos: 246





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is a continuation of the previous fic, but can be read standalone. Please enjoy :)

The last time someone put Lio's cup on the top shelf, he thought it had gotten lost, or stolen, because he can't actually  _ see _ the top shelf. 

It wasn't until they had run out of cups on the bottom shelves when Lio climbed the counter top to see a treasure trove of unused crockery and his own  _ #1 ARSONIST  _ mug near the back. Unfortunately, no one admitted to the crime so it was deemed an accident, but it did earn Lio his entrance to the 'gremlin watch' which was previously only home to Lucia. 

The two of them have been caught on camera stacking boxes on chairs on wheels to reach shelves too high for their puny mortal frames, and photos printed out for shame on the top of the notice board (for irony, of course). Lio only has the one, but Lucia has five or six in various spaces around the headquarters. 

This time, Lio makes sure that no one else is around when he pushes an office chair to the counter top and stands on it to see onto the shelf, and quickly snatches his mug before he tips over. Excellent. Now he can have coffee. 

The night shift is usually a lonely one - not something Lio is unused to, but lately he's been getting used to the loud background noise of his companions that make the absence of such louder. 

He has paperwork to do, at least, so he won't be sat around twiddling his thumbs. A generous folder of proposals regarding ex-burnish relief efforts that are still going on despite the entire fiasco being half a year ago. 

The ex-settlement-now-ex-burnish committee normally takes care of all the admin, and they still like to have Lio look over them because the burnish trust Lio. He is the face of their freedom even though he is completely lost in this new world of bureaucracy. 

As he goes through the paperwork, he adds dates into his phone calendar of important meetings where his attendance is mandatory, despairing at the sight of days filling up. Lio toggles the Burning Rescue 3 on-call calendar to make himself feel better, because there's less displayed on screen that way, and if they clash, technically the meetings take priority and sorting out shifts is work for another day. He taps tomorrow afternoon to sort that out. 

It's nearing dawn when he finally gets through the stack, mostly thanks to caffeine and the promise of a warm bed to return to. Remi relieves him of his seat by the phone and they clink coffee cups as if passing a baton. Lio bids him goodnight, Remi wishes him a good morning, and then Lio trudges back up to his shared room. 

Galo is still asleep, thankfully, but Lio knows that there isn't long left before his roommate's internal clock wakes him up at the crack of dawn, so he shimmies of of his uniform and into one of his (stolen) sleep shirts and slips into the warmth of bed. Galo magnets onto him once he's in, hugging Lio like a teddy bear, and he finally closes his eyes for sleep.

The sun rises too soon and Galo springs out of bed, leaving a warm spot where he was laying that Lio desperately burrows into to try and preserve the heat. He hasn't managed to actually fall asleep yet, but Galo's awakening disturbs him all the same. 

Galo chuckles at Lio's attempt to huddle under the duvet and pats where he think Lio's head is affectionately, and leaves to start his day. He lets Lio sleep, because he's nice like that, but also because one time he forgot Lio was on late shift and was given the cold shoulder for the entire day. Granted, Lio had given  _ everyone _ the cold shoulder that day, but it was especially painful for Galo, so now he lets Lio sleep in. 

  


It's late morning when Lio's alarm goes off much to his dismay, and he stubbornly stays in bed for half an hour longer than necessary out of spite. Meis knocks on his door and threatens to come in before he even considers leaving his cocoon of warmth. 

Getting showered and dressed takes another hour, because Lio actually cares about his appearance, and also because he wants to intimidate the officials he's meeting with later in the afternoon. It really is unfortunate his favourite jacket got burned up by Kray Foresight, but the replacement one is almost as good even if it's missing patches and singed bits. 

(Lio has been meaning to artificially give his jacket battle scars to help the intimidation factor, but at the same time is reluctant as it feels inauthentic. He can't point at a patch and go,  _ I was stabbed here _ , if he wasn't really and has to  _ lie _ about it. )

"Come on then." He declares when he's done, sauntering into the lounge where his generals are waiting. "Let's go."

Perhaps the most embarrassing thing about the promare leaving is that Lio can't actually will himself to drive out of sheer determination. He was young when he awakened his burnish flame, way too young to be driving, and with the promare he never had to learn.

Driving lessons has been… Enlightening, to say the least. Meis and Gueira make fun of him for it, while Galo seems to find it cute and loves the excuse to take him out for joyrides on his own motorcycle (which, of course, Lio is not going to complain about).

The three of them gathered enough funds to buy a beaten up SUV that Lucia helped them fix up as a squad car so they can get around without constantly needing lifts from members of Burning Rescue 3. Gueira calls it the Mad-mobile, but no one else does.

They arrive at a complex which reminds Lio too much of the Foresight Foundation building that he had personally seen to the destruction of. 

"Are you sure you want to go in alone, Boss?" Meis asks as Lio is preparing his papers. 

"Yes, we can't present a threat." He sighs, "Besides, Lina will meet me there so I won't be alone."

"Yeah, but Lina's too nice to tell them where to shove it-" Gueira interrupts from the driver's seat.

"Enough. I don't like this any more than the two of you do, but I must not give them any excuse to discredit me." He says, before throwing in a "no offense". 

"It's fine, Boss. We know we have scary faces, it's why you keep us around eh?" Meis assures Lio that he is not offended, and Gueira makes some kind of growling noise presumably accompanied with pulling a face neither of them can see. 

"Exactly. I'll page you when I'm done." Lio bids his goodbyes and steps out of the car. 

Lina is in the lobby area of the building waiting for him already, and together they get their visitor passes. She's wearing a suit, unlike Lio, with modest heels (also unlike Lio, who is punishing his feet in the name of being taller) and carrying a small briefcase that she pulls a few papers out of when they're in the elevator. 

They're some last minute notes for the meeting that the organiser had conveniently forgotten to send until this morning, which Lio had not seen. He rolls his eyes and accepts them, skimming over the text before stuffing it into his folder when they arrive at their floor. 

  


Lio punches a wall. It hurts his hand more than it hurts the wall, thankfully, because he's not sure how he would explain a hole in the wall but can at least pretend his hand is alright. 

Gueira is on his way to pick him up, but Lio is finding it hard to keep his cool long enough for even that. Honestly, he's impressed that he even made it through the entire meeting. Lina's escort picked her up a few minutes ago, because even though she doesn't live far, none of the burnish trust the city enough to walk on their own. 

The board of governors were as deliberately obtuse as they always are, talking about one thing while meaning another and slipping in a hidden clause while they're are it. Lio is tired and doesn't understand the double-triple meanings even if he knows they're there. It frustrates him. 

A familiar bright red SUV pulls up by the sidewalk and a window rolls down to reveal Meis waving him a hello, but he freezes when he sees the state Lio has worked himself into. 

He gets in, doing his best to hide his hand, but Meis is eagle eyed and calls him out on it immediately. He doesn't want to, but he cracks, pressing his palms into his eyes as if that will stop any tears escaping. 

He's not sad, not really. More frustrated than anything, but he doesn't know how to channel it until it gets so overwhelming his body shakes, he cries, and screams until his throat is sore.

This isn't the first time Gueira have driven them outside the city limits so that Lio can have some privacy in his breakdown, or Meis holds him silently until he feels human again. 

They understand in a way that those who have never been burnish never will- the fire might be gone, but the need to burn never disappears. It's stronger for Gueira than Meis, and stronger for Lio still, who can no longer set fire until all his frustrations are ash. 

  


It's well into the evening when they make it back to Mad Rescue headquarters, and Lio's hand has swollen and hurts to move. Meis had tried to give it some first aid, but with Lio's episode, he was unable to do much until he calmed down, by which point it was difficult without more medical equipment that their tiny box provides.

Galo is waiting for them in the kitchen, idly messing with some kind of puzzle cube. He gets up as soon as they enter, taking in their exhausted expressions. 

"Lio…" he says, reaching out for him, but Meis and Gueira move to block him. Lio raises his hand and shakes his head. 

_ It's alright _ , his look says, and they reluctantly step down. 

"We're going to the infirmary." Meis says, tilting his head at Lio. "I think he's got a fracture in his hand."

Galo immediately picks up Lio's hand, the one he's half hiding behind his back, and examines it. He gives it a poke, which makes Lio wince.

"He can still feel it, so that's good. I'll take care of it." 

He's guided to the infirmary by Galo, and although Meis and Gueira made to follow as well, Lio dismisses them. He'll be fine. 

"I thought that meeting lasted longer than you'd written in your calendar." Lio is sat down by the x-ray machine with a glass of water while Galo rummages around in the cupboards. "Or maybe you guys had gone to eat without us."

"It did go on," his throat is raw, and it betrays more than the puffy eyes and blotchy face. 

"I hope that whoever you punched deserved it, at least." There's an awkward silence after Galo says that, and he raises an eyebrow.

"Er- it was a wall." Lio admits, looking away. 

"Idiot. I thought I was the idiot here, huh?" 

Galo makes quick work of taking the x-ray, splinting, and finishes the job with some anti-inflammatories and painkillers.

It's too late to be eating dinner when they're done, so they go back up to their room. Galo doesn't ask about what happened - it doesn't help to make Lio feel better based on previous instances - instead he picks out a cartoon for them to watch together in bed. 

They settle in with Galo holding the tablet and Lio sat in between his legs with blankets hiked up to his chin, a familiar position by now. Lio likes the cartoons, even if he's hesitant to admit it. He's missed out on a lot of culture because of the whole war thing, and Galo is doing his best to catch him up on everything. 

Unfortunately, Galo is bad at keeping still, even when watching movies. He leans in when things are tense and throws his arms around when he's excited (which is extra bad if the tablet falls onto Lio's face), and bounces his legs idly if nothing is happening. It took some time for Lio to get used to sitting with him but now he considers the reactions a part of the experience.

Today's movie is about a genius mathematician who breaks the internet or something by solving a complex equation and they use the power of family to save it. Lio isn't paying a huge amount of attention because he's still keyed up about issues that he doesn't know how to solve, but he does enjoy the bright colours and fluid animation. 

"You know, you should take a break." Galo says when they're finished with the movie and the credits are playing. 

"From… watching?" He asks, tapping them off the video player and scrolling to find something else that catches his eye.

"No, from the meetings and stuff." Galo locks the screen and puts the tablet on the side so he can properly hug Lio. "You're like, stressed all the time and I barely see you." 

"Strange thing to say to someone who sleeps with you." Lio replies, but his brain catches up and he tries to do some damage control. "Literally. That is."

"W-well yes, of course. Literally." At least Galo is similarly flustered by his slip. Here it is again, a  _ them _ that they haven't managed to define yet. 

They share a space, because Lio slots into Galo's life so easily that it's hard to imagine a time where he didn't wake up at the crack of dawn to Galo getting ready for the day, or having to fold a million of Galo's shirts every time he does the laundry. 

Once, after an incident not dissimilar to the one earlier today, when Lio had cried until his tears stopped coming and dug crescent shaped cuts into his palms, Lio quietly admitted  _ I'm scared I don't know who I am _ , and Galo had reassured  _ you're Lio Fotia, _ as if it was the easiest thing in the world. 

He had been stunned into silence, because the idea of just existing as who he is had never crossed his mind. _ What about us?  _ he asked, feeling braver. 

_ We don't have to be anything if you don't want to, _ Galo replied, but Lio did and does;  _ I want there to be an us, a Galo-and-Lio. I just,  _ he tried, unable to form words. 

_ That's okay too _ , he had pulled Lio close, finally, letting Lio bury his face in his chest.  _ It doesn't have to be now. _

"Hey, you're overthinking something." Galo interrupts his thoughts with a prod to his cheek. "It better not be work related."

"It isn't." Lio shakes his head, drawing the blankets up further to hide his blush.

"That's okay then." Galo doesn't push, and Lio is grateful for it. He's also gone quiet, which is mildly suspicious, but Lio offers the same courtesy and doesn't question it. 

Besides, he's tired enough to sleep now. The movie helped ease the anxiety in his head about the state of the ex-burnish in Promepolis, and Galo's warmth and heartbeat is lulling him in further. 

"Your turn to get the lights," Lio declares, snatching as much of the blankets as he can and rolling into his side of the bed with it. 

Galo grumbles, but gets up to flick the lights off all the same. He unrolls a Lio to reclaim some of the blankets and settles in, letting Lio latch onto an arm for warmth. 

Sleep comes easier for Galo than it does for Lio, but it takes them both the same.

  


Lio gets up with Galo at dawn the next day and makes them breakfast. Galo nervously watches him the entire time, not because Lio is bad at cooking or having trouble with just one hand (in fact, it's mildly impressive that he can crack eggs one handed), but because there have been incidents in the past where the 'Mad' part of 'Mad Rescue' members have forgotten that fire burns. 

Lio is prone to checking the heat of the electrical hob with his hand, forgetting to wear oven mitts when pulling things out and flipping with his fingers instead of tongs, all of which make Galo extremely stressed watching out for. 

If getting burned wasn't so painful, it would be funny watching Galo get worked up, but it's been a few months and Lio's already losing sensation in the tips of his fingers from burning them so often on hot things. 

At some point, Aina and Meis had appeared in the kitchen snuffling for food, so Lio takes pity on them and serves them up some eggs and bacon too. Luckily for everyone, breakfast is made without incident and Lio emerges with no new burns. 

They eat in a comfortable silence, and Meis takes an extra plate back up to his room for Gueira when he's done.

"How is Heris doing?" Lio asks Aina while he's collecting their plates. 

"She's fine, enjoying freedom again." Aina replies. Heris had been in custody for a few months, between the immediate aftermath where she knew the most about Kray's plans and the engine and was best suited to help, and just two weeks ago when she was released. 

Lio is privately annoyed that Heris managed to escape prison so soon, especially since he's fighting so hard to release the ex-burnish that they had deemed 'too dangerous' despite how they had done nothing wrong. It's only thanks to Galo that he and his generals have managed to escape that fate.

"I'm glad," and he is glad that Aina's sister is out; she's genuinely sorry even if Lio doesn't forgive her for imprisoning his people and using them as fuel.

Perhaps he chose the wrong topic to make small talk with, because an awkward silence stretches out in front of them. Aina is aware of the friction between her sister and Lio, so it looks like she's reluctant to say more. 

"I'll… let her know you asked." She takes the dishes from Lio and walks back into the kitchen to sort them out, effectively ending the conversation. 

Lio stares at where the plates were in his hands, and slowly lowers his head to the table. 

"You're really tired, huh." Galo comments, speaking at last. "You don't normally put your foot in your mouth like that." 

"I- yeah. Yesterday was… Difficult." Lio says into the table. "I need to go to the complex." 

The complex used to home all those who were displaced by the Parnassus plan, but since the incident the non-burnish and more able bodied ex-burnish have moved to nicer places because they can get jobs without getting kicked out on sight, leaving it as a poor accommodation. It's one of Lio's greatest battles to change for the better.

"You need a ride? I'm free today." Galo offers, one which Lio is tempted to take, if only because he only realised how much he's missed Galo since it was brought up last night. 

"No, it's alright. I'll have Meis and Gueira with me." He decides, because Galo did save the world but he's still never been burnish, and the ex-burnish are wary enough as it is with Lio. He doesn't want to start any incidents. 

"You say that every time but yesterday you broke your hand." Galo pouts at the dismissal.

"That was- different." Lio tries to explain, sitting up. Time to switch tactics. "It'll be boring. I'll just be asking people what the city has promised them, and that they actually received." 

This does not deter Galo, who has also switched tactics to puppy eyes, and Lio has a hard time telling Galo no as it is. 

"Fine. Get ready, then." Lio gets up without waiting for Galo, knowing that he will follow one he's done with his victory pose or something. It's too early to argue with him anyway.

  


Lio knocks on the door of Meis and Gueira's shared room just to let them know that they need to be getting ready and goes to take a shower. 

He can hear Galo telling him to hurry up and stop wasting the hot water half an hour in, but Lio is having a hard time washing himself with a plastic bag over one hand. When he steps out, Galo is grumbling about how Lio could possibly need so long it he's so small and there isn't much to wash, which Lio responds to by flinging his wet hair in Galo's direction, spraying water everywhere. 

Somehow, Lio is still last to arrive in the lobby. He would blame it on his busted hand, if it wasn't this way every time they have to go out. They take the SUV ("mad-mobile!") because taking a truck would be overkill and as funny as it would be with four people on a bike, it's fairly illegal. 

The complex was built quickly and it shows. There are already chips in the wood and a smell of damp that permeates the ground floor. It's an upsetting sight. 

"Good morning Mister Fotia, sirs." They're greeted by the landlord, a non-burnish called Ioke Wista who looks like he'd rather be anywhere but here. They're led into a small office where a two ex-burnish tenants are waiting for them around a coffee table, who introduce themselves as Kahi and Sula. 

There are only four chairs, so only Lio sits with Meis and Gueira flanking his sides. Galo looks awkward and stands behind them, by the doorway. Ioke sits on the last seat, separating the table into three parties: Burning Rescue, burnish and non-burnish.

Lio wants to record why the living conditions are below standard, first, because there have been cases of illness caused by poor heating. Ioke claims that he's called the maintenance companies multiple times, and the tenants just aren't dressing properly for the weather- the ex-burnish claim that nothing has been done. It doesn't end in a shouting match, but it's an almost thing. 

Lio reminds them that he can't personally fix the issues, only pass the message along and put pressure on those who allocate funding. 

Kahi and Sula do not listen, and the Ioke seems to have already made his mind up to be as uncooperative as possible and the three of them spend most of the time arguing against each other. 

They don't actually get past the first talking point that Lio prepared because of this. He's used to hostility of the non-burnish, but Kahi and Sula are none to pleased with him either, calling his inability to do anything as not wanting to do anything. 

Lio tries to wrap the meeting an hour after it was due to end in an attempt to steer the conversation back on track, but they're stuck on the unfairness of the situation. It seems they at least agree that, in an amazing leap of logic, it is Lio's fault. 

Ioke already blames Lio for having to actually treat his tenants like people, but today it's because he hasn't gotten approval for funds, because it's  _ Lio _ who isn't working hard enough.

"If maybe you'd get off your high horse and see what they're doing to us, you'd care more. Instead, you took away our means and called it saving us!" Kahi snarls at Lio, slapping his hand on the table.

"That's not fair," Galo steps in at the accusation when Lio doesn't say a thing to discredit it. 

"Oh, you need a _non-burnish_ to defend you?" Sula spits, while Lio holds Galo back from advancing. 

"I'm perfectly fine to speak for myself." He says calmly, "I don't think we're getting anything productive out of this meeting. I'll send the minutes in an email later." Lio gathers his papers quickly and leaves abruptly, the rest of the small Mad Rescue team following after him. He's shaking.

"Coward!" Someone shouts from behind them, but Lio is concentrating on getting them all out. On the way to the car, someone throws a rock at their group. No one was injured physically - the aim was poor - but it hurts all the same. 

"The Boulder, Boss?" Gueira asks, starting up the car. Lio reckons that if he speaks, he's going to scream, so he just nods and Meis passes the message on. 

The Boulder is an unofficial name for a small patch of desert just outside of the city borders where there are no buildings and barely a road that reaches it, perpetually covered in sand and ending suddenly thanks to a large boulder.

The only thing different from yesterday is that Galo is with them, and Lio didn't punch a wall. Galo, who has not seen this side of the ex-burnish community before and is looking lost in the situation. 

Lio was frustrated yesterday, and today he's just tired. It's one thing to be dealing with people who have never been burnish and grew up thinking that they are subhuman, but for his own to be also firing shots… it's demoralising to say the least.

He's always given his all to protecting the burnish; to be repaid this way makes him feel like he's failed, and he has nothing left to give. 

"Is this what usually happens?" He can hear Galo asking Meis quietly. "This what you do?"

"It's not like we like it either." Meis is defensive, taking the questions as a challenge rather than concern. "You think we want to be out here every day until he cools down?" 

"I'm still here." Lio reminds them, shooting a sharp look in their direction. 

"Sorry Boss."

"But how is this helping?" Galo presses again, not understanding.

"What else are we supposed to do? If it were up to me, I'd burn every last one of them that disrespect-" 

"Enough," Lio cuts in. They've had this argument several times before, and each time the prospect of lighting up Promepolis gets more enticing. "We can't do that anymore, anyway."

"Lio?" Galo looks shocked that he's even entertaining the idea. "This wasn't what I meant- what I thought you meant when we agreed to rebuild everything, we can't just make the same mistakes as everyone did before-"

"I know." Lio bites, "I'm trying to change things, but people _ still _ don't see me as anything but the Mad Burnish leader and take me seriously." 

"But you are-" 

"But we're in this side of the law now, we can't get attention the way we used to." He clenches his uninjured hand into a fist, not unlike the action of summoning his flames. "Everything's already in chaos thanks to the Foresight Foundation dissolving and some of the ex-burnish no longer trust me because I work with Aina."

"What does Aina have to do with this?" Galo asks, and of course he doesn't realise. Lio wants to call him an idiot, but he knows it wouldn't help. 

"Her sister's Heris Ardebit, the woman who designed and imprisoned thousands of us to act as batteries." He says instead, watching the understanding dawn on Galo's face.

"But that's not Aina's fault." He frowns, "And Heris has publicly apologised and stood trial for her part." 

"The issue isn't who Aina and Heris actually are, it's who people  _ think _ they are, and they think that I agree with them to some degree, or did it all for myself, or whatever it is to make themselves feel better." Lio explains, mustering the last of his patience because Galo doesn't deserve his rage. He just happens to be closest.

"Then why can't we just explain it to them?" The conversation is familiar, except they're not inside a cave with the dim light of a fire and ashes in the air. They're in broad daylight in a car speeding towards an empty skyline. It's so naïve that Lio doesn't know how to answer.

"You can't seriously think that would work still, Galo." Lio finishes, the fight leaving him, and leans into his seat. Meis glares at Galo, but stays quiet. 

The rest of the journey is done in silence, uncomfortable and suffocating. When they stop, Galo immediately opens the door and dashes out, leaving the three of them confused.

"Boss, why do you like this idiot?" Gueira says as kindly as he can. Lio sighs and watches the idiot run circles to relieve himself of excess energy. 

He knows that is in Galo's nature to want to do something to help, but in situations where there's nothing that can be done immediately, it manifests as this nervous energy that's better burned off than left simmering. 

When Galo returns, he's pensive.

"I can't think of anything!" He shouts, entirely too loud.

"Congrats, you want a cookie?" Gueira asks from the floor where the three of them are baking in the sun. 

"No!" Galo flops down next to them, hissing at the hot sand. 

"I still don't understand why we gotta follow the rules." Meis grumbles, earning a kick from Lio. 

"And what are we going to do when we're sent to prison? Idiot." Gueira replies for Lio. "Boss can't do that trick anymore."

"You can't speak about arson in front of a firefighter!" Galo gasps, "You're all firefighters now too!" 

"Yeah, we fight with fire!" Meis smirks, lifting a fist into the air. 

"You know I can't pretend I didn't hear that!" 

Lio stops listening, partially because it's nonsense, and partially to try and sort out the mess in his head.

Galo has been kept out of the proceedings, mainly because he's not very good at paying attention in meetings and it's perceived as rude, so Lio has taken over that front. The ex-burnish also don't trust him - he turned some of them in, after all, so Lio also took responsibility for that too.

The situation wasn't so bad immediately after the incident; people were happy to have a roof over their head and grateful to Lio for saving them. Now, the building has deteriorated and anyone who could move on did. With the city officials being shadowy figures pulling strings and Lio's face so public and known, any dissent has started to get pointed to him. 

Gueira and Meis have done their best to help Lio, along with the committee from the previous settlement, but the majority of people only want to speak to Lio Fotia. He's considered before that maybe he's making a mistake by taking it all on, but there are no other choices.

"Lio!" Galo nudges his shoulder, bringing him back to the present. "Jeez, you're really stuck in your head."

"Just trying to find a solution for this," Lio draws his knees up to his chest defensively. 

"That's what we were talking about." Galo pouts. 

"We've decided you're doing way too much on your own." Gueira gives him a thumbs up. 

"They specifically ask for me, though."

"Yeah but forget about them, they can deal with someone else." Galo insists, dragging Lio into his side and rubbing his head as if fluffing him up is going to make him more agreeable. All it does is make him look like an angry puffball. 

"I highly doubt that would work." Lio shakes Galo off him, smoothing his hair out. 

"Can't make it worse!" Meis chimes in, and the other two nod in agreement. Lio is outnumbered. 

"No, you can, and that's a very real problem." He says, giving each of them a Look. He knows how many brain cells they all have, and it's enough to fit on one hand. 

"Who says you're suited for it though? You led a rebellion, not a new political whatever." Galo says, which Lio kind of agrees with. He hasn't got any training to be doing what he is, and yeah, maybe they have a point. "We just have to find someone who does!" 

"You want to find us a lawyer?" He asks, just to confirm. 

"A representative yeah!" They cheer, and Lio feels like it might be a good idea. They'd have to find someone willing, of course, and someone they can trust which is the bigger issue. Mad Burnish have never been one for trusting easily, especially outsiders.

"I'll think about it." He says, which causes another cheer and a round of high fives. 

They stay at the Boulder until the sun starts to set. At some point in the afternoon, Lio's phone starts beeping and he's reminded to sort out any clashes with meetings and shifts, but Galo snatches the phone out of his hands and holds it above his head until Lio gives up. Damn him and his tall genes. 

  


Ignis saved them some dinner in the oven for when they get back, so Meis takes charge of reheating with Galo keeping half an eye on him to make sure he is wearing oven mitts when handling hot pans. 

There's no one else in the headquarters lobby - there seems to have been a call so those on duty rolled out to deal with it - and it's oddly quiet. It's still a little too early to sleep and Lio's phone is still confiscated to prevent him from working, so he lays on the sofa while the others are playing some kind of video game.

He's spent so long being busy that now he has down time, he has no idea what to do with it. The last time he had a proper break was when he was hospitalised because he didn't know where the human threshold for cold was. 

Not doing anything feels like he's failing somehow, and it frustrates him. Trying to convince himself that feeling bad is being silly is only making it worse, and Lio is tempted just to go to sleep so he doesn't have to deal with it. 

He ends up drafting emails in his head for Lina, which just show on his face because he's pulled in to a game where they race against each other, although it's more colour and screaming than actual racing in Lio's opinion. 

It feels empty, and he can see the others sense it from him. They're being extra loud to make up for his lack of enthusiasm which is only making his headache worse. 

"I think I'm going to bed." He says after losing another match. 

Galo scrambles to follow him upstairs, catching up easily, and grabs Lio by the wrist before he can curl up in bed and refuse to get out. 

"Lio," Galo says, gently, "I can leave you alone if you want, but it looks like you need someone right now." 

While Lio doesn't reply, he doesn't snatch his hand back either. 

"Let me help." Galo continues, tightening his grip. Lio laughs humourlessly, but turns around regardless. 

"Idiot," Lio whispers, as if talking louder would hurt. "Do what you want."

He turns away before he can see Galo grin at the acceptance, but he knows already the expression Galo is making. He's ashamed at the piece of him that craves it, in any form that Galo will give it in. 

Stupid idiot Galo and his hero complex, and stupid idiot Lio who has gotten himself into a situation where he's looking forward to Galo's comfort. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy, finally, the fruits of promare ending my half-decade of writing hiatus. Good bless these dumb children.

It takes two weeks for them to find someone who both wants to help them and Lio is willing to trust. Lina is the one who did most of the hard work in finding them - he thinks she's happy to be working with someone who knows what is being said rather than some punk who happened to save the world; not because they don't like each other, but more because now they have someone who does know the law, he realises how out of his depth he was. 

The lawyer is a woman called Ashar Breton, an ex-burnish who was fortunate enough to not have any lasting effects from the engine, and while not able to practice law anymore, is able to find work elsewhere.

She's thrilled to be included, but Lio is still apprehensive.

They plan to meet up at Lina's apartment, because the headquarters are too chaotic and anywhere public would be foolish. Lio is early for once, and nibbling at a cookie Lina offered him. The living space is small, but there's a table at least, even if there are no chairs low enough for it.

Lio has all his papers in a stack, sorted vaguely by date. He's somehow more tired from taking it easy than he was when he was sleeping for three hours a night and in and out of meetings all day or literally putting out fires. 

(He doesn't even have the right certifications to be a firefighter but they're short on people and arson is surprisingly popular as a hate crime.) 

Ashar is a tall, intimidating woman with dark skin and piercing eyes that make Lio understand why she was a successful lawyer in a previous life, before her burnish awakening. 

She greets them pleasantly enough, but there is much to cover and there is no time to make small talk. This would be their third session, and Lio is contributing less and less, only spoken to when he's asked what he wants or was trying to do. The idea was to get her up to speed and let her and Lina do most of the meetings with the board, freeing Lio from politics hell. 

Ashar is patient with explaining things to him even when it becomes clear that he agreed to things he didn't know he did. It doesn't look good, undoing all the red tape that chokes the ex-burnish's autonomy, but they're all willing to fight for it. 

They wrap up Lio's part with half an hour before he's due to be picked up, miraculously, and Lio is all too happy to put away his papers and wait outside for Galo to arrive. 

The days are starting to cool down now that autumn is ending, meaning that Lio has to bundle up if he's out late. It's not quite sweater weather, but he's susceptible enough to the cold to need gloves and scarves already. 

Besides, he loves his leathers. He'll wear them until he can't anymore. 

The apartment building is home to a lot of ex-burnish; the rent is pricey because it's near the city center, and it's only known as such to people who are ex-burnish themselves. The owner of the building never got caught by the Freeze Patrol, but burnish recognise and help each other. 

It's partially why he's even waiting outside alone - this is a known safe spot to hang out, and he knows a lot of people who live here (not personally, because he's helped a lot of burnish, but they know him and he recognises their faces). 

The night is quiet in a way which is strange to Lio, now. He's gotten used to the bustle and background noise of the people he lives with, so even though there are still people milling about the streets talking among themselves, he feels lonely. 

Thankfully, Galo arrives early and passes Lio his helmet without any preamble, letting him slide into the back of the bike and latch on. It's embarrassing how excited he is to see Galo, honestly. At least no one can see his face with the helmet on now, but based on Galo's chuckle, the damage had already been done. 

The headquarters are rowdy when they get back: Lucia is cackling, Gueira is screaming, and Remi is taking pictures of the small stovetop fire that everyone is gathered around. Galo dashes in with the wet chemical extinguisher and douses it generously. He looks disappointed in everyone. 

Lio is also disappointed, but he's used to random fires from his friends. Besides, they're in a firefighting unit, there's fire extinguishers of every kind in here, so there is never any real danger. 

The only casualty was dinner, which is charred and generously and garnished with foam. Lucia and Remi are chattering over his phone, so Lio wanders over to have a look at the pictures that were taken.

They're pretty good; Remi has a good eye for composition, and the best picture is one which Lio is fairly sure fits into the golden ratio: fire curling around a Gueira bent backwards in surprise and pan mid-flip with what looks like too much oil for the sausages glistening in the embers. 

Lucia runs off once Remi sends her the files to print them, no doubt to add them to the wall of shame above the fire extinguishers. That's another for Gueira, who should now be tied with Lio for most fires.

"Hey Lio! Remi! What pizzas do you want?" Galo shouts from across the room, waving his phone at them. Meis has also appeared, perhaps summoned by his Gueira-senses. 

"Just order the usual." Remi calls back, going to sit at one of the chairs at the table, tapping on his own phone. 

"Lio? Pizza?" Galo asks again, impatient. 

"Margherita please." He replies, knowing full well that they're going to end up with twenty spicy pizzas that they normally get that his tongue can't tolerate. Galo and Varys always complain about how it's not the same as the last place they used to frequent, but it does the job, and Lio doesn't care too much for fast food so long as it doesn't kill him. 

Galo whoops when he sends the order and joins them at the dining table, waiting for food. Meis and Gueira have headed back upstairs, something about being tired from the incidents they responded to earlier in the day, and to let them know when the order arrives. 

Lio lets Lina know he's made it back in one piece, and then checks his emails again for good measure. Nothing new.

His phone is snatched out of his hands again when he refreshes the email app a third time, and he looks up to Galo's disapproving stare. 

"No more work." He holds Lio's phone up in the air where Lio's arms can not reach it.

"Why…" Lio moans, giving up after a feeble attempt. This is starting to get really old, but he does admit that he always feels better after not checking his phone for a few hours than looking at it every ten minutes. 

He kicks Galo's shin, who flinches with an  _ oof _ and Lio swipes his phone back while he's distracted, holding it long enough for a victory he smirk before pocketing it. 

"There, no more work." He agrees, amused with Galo's scandalised look. 

The amusement doesn't last long, because Aina steps into the room with Heris in tow. She looks surprised to see Lio, and Heris's eyes are darting between him and the door she just came through. Everyone seems frozen in place with their breaths held waiting for Lio's reaction, which Lio thinks is silly.

"Er- I can leave-" Heris starts, but Lio shakes his head. 

"No need." He doesn't see why everyone is expecting him to throw a fit or leave, even Galo. Lio is perfectly capable of being civil to people who he doesn't agree with - he's spent the past half year doing so after all. 

"I thought you were in a meeting tonight," Aina says guiltily, but moves to sit at the table all the same.

"I was. It finished a while ago." He replies, and makes eye contact with Galo to try and tell him it's okay, and to stop being and idiot and making it awkward. 

"I see. How is it going with your new representative?" Aina continues while Heris also takes a seat at the table.

"Good because Lio gets more free time now!" Galo interrupts before Lio can say anything, picking up Lio's discomfort and ready to distract. He starts waving his arms and asking about Heris's new projects instead, a new environmental research for redeveloping the Wastes and beyond based on Kray's previous contributions (or Deus Prometh's, it's unclear).

Lio takes a back seat in the conversation, preferring instead just to listen. Aina sends a thankful look his way when they make eye contact, but beyond that the conversation is firmly off any touchy topics.

The pizzas arrive, with Lio answering the door and returning with a stack that's precariously balanced higher than his head. He takes Meis and Gueria's pizzas up to their room and rejoins the table with Lucia and Varys. 

Dinner is too rowdy for Lio - and that's as someone who led a flaming rebel convoy. He's exhausted by the time he's done eating, way too little according to everyone else at the table ("Even Lucia eats an entire pizza!"), so he heads off upstairs to see how his generals are doing. 

He knocks before going into their room, wrinkling his nose a little at the mess. Meis has his hair up and is doing something at a laptop with Gueria behind him messing with another puzzle cube (where are they getting them from?), hands red from the burns. 

"Hey Boss," Meis greets without looking up, "What's the matter?" 

"Nothing, it's just a little noisy downstairs." Lio takes a seat on the floor, toeing aside some socks to make space to sit. 

"Those lot sure are crazy." Gueira agrees, putting the cube aside and plopping himself into the ground next to Lio. "Different kind of crazy to what Mad Burnish ever was." 

Lio hums in agreement, remembering countless nights in caves, watching the fires of his people casting dancing shadows on the walls. It makes him nostalgic.

"Heris is also downstairs." He says instead. Gueira immediately pulls a face, not unlike a scowl.

"Man, I wish she wouldn't visit, I mean I know she's Aina's sister and all but she gives me the chills." Gueira says, and Meis nods. 

"That would be the trauma." Meis closes the laptop and joins them on the floor. They're sat the way they used to, when they'd share the night watch, except there's no campfire keeping them warm and there's no danger to be watching out for. 

"It's a bitch." Gueira says after a small silence. "Would be so much easier if she were a maniac like Kray." 

"Gueira…" Lio warns, but he also sees the point being made. It's easier when there's an evil person doing bad things rather than someone who does bad things because they think they have to. 

"What he means is that it's frustrating that she's out already." Meis clarifies.

"She's out early because she's not burnish." Lio sighs, feeling the familiar rage rise up to the surface. "Our brothers and sisters are still in there because they are." 

"Stupid system." Gueira squishes a cushion with great prejudice. "If only it were a thing we could actually hit!" 

"That's surprisingly acute of you." Meis comments, snatching the pillow away and puffing it back up. "Knowing that we can't actually punch our issues away."

"Things are much easier when you can actually hit them." Lio says, flexing his fingers in a pantomime of summoning fire. 

"At least we have jobs. Have you seen Basst lately? Her family's glad to have her back, but she's starting another gang." Gueira says, Basst being one of the captains from Mad Burnish. Lio grimaces a little, which Meis unfortunately catches. 

"You haven't spoken to her?" He raises an eyebrow at Lio, which flusters him. Lio has been meaning to talk to the previous captains and members of Mad Burnish, but with nothing to show, he hasn't been able to face them. 

"No, not yet." He admits quietly, and Gueria hoots, slapping him on the back. 

"Why!" Gueira shouts more than asks.

"It's not like I knew them well," Lio says, shoves Gueira back. "I wasn't their Boss for that long. God knows why you guys are still here." 

"Is…" Gueira starts, and Lio does not like the look that he gets in his eyes. "Is the Boss  _ shy _ ?" He says, fwapping Lio again, this time on the shoulder. 

Lio feels his face heat up, and he knows he's not only blushing, his face is becoming a tomato. "No!" He says, hitting Gueira back and starting a small slap war while Meis watches, unimpressed. 

"You probably should visit them." He says from his perch, just outside of slapping range. "If you're scared of it turning out like it does when we visit the complex, we can actually punch these guys."

"Meis!" Lio gasps, and gets hit in the face in his distraction. 

"What, how did you think we made ranks before you plopped yourself at the top?" Meis smirks. Lio can tell it's not a lie, but there's also the case now that they aren't immortal fire beings, brawling would result in injury.

"You're all unbelievable." He says, batting Gueira off at last and ending the fight. 

"No, what's unbelievable is this prissy  _ British _ boy wiping the floor with all of us! I'd like to see you try now." Meis retorts in an over-exaggerated version of Lio's accent when he says  _ British _ , and Gueira makes an  _ 'oooh!'  _ noise, looking between them.

Lio snarls and snatches another pillow off the bed to throw at Meis, and the conversation dissolves into screeching, slapping and giggling, which Gueira joins because he thrives off of chaos. 

Lio excuses himself once the three of them are all tired, and Gueira has already fallen asleep on the floor. He bids Meis goodnight, but Meis is not conscious enough to do anything but grunt in reply. 

Despite the good evening, Lio struggles to sleep - he is alone, too cold, and every time he closes his eyes he's back in the pod with Kray leering in, pain lacing his limbs and powerless. He gives up after a few hours, good mood entirely gone, and goes to stretch his legs.

Galo is passed out on the sofa after the impromptu pizza party, Lio notes as he sneaks downstairs. Lucia and Varys are also there, snoring with Galo to create an unholy cacophony, which doesn't surprise Lio in the slightest.

After taking a small glass and filling it up, he digs out the blankets that they keep in the lounge and drapes one in each of the sleeping people, picking up discarded pizza boxes and drink cans on the way back. No need to attract more mice, just Vinny is enough. 

"Lio?" He hears as he's taking a sip and almost chokes on it. "Hey, easy," Galo comes over and pats his back until he stopped coughing. 

"Sorry to wake you up." He says once he's able. 

"No it's fine. What are you doing up?" Galo asks, but Lio doesn't respond. He looks at Lio, at the shadows under his eyes and his messy hair, and comes to a conclusion on his own.

"Just getting a drink." Lio tries, but Galo is having none of it. 

"Sure, that's why it looks like you haven't slept." 

"Piss off." Lio makes an attempt to push past Galo, hoping that recently waking would make him easier to move, but it's futile.

"So we're dealing with angry Lio today?" Galo puts a hand on his shoulder, stopping him from trying to leave again.

"No, this is tired Lio and he wants to go back to bed." He deadpans, and shrugs Galo's hand off.

"I think a ride would be nice right now." Galo suggests, gripping his shoulder more tightly. He has a cheeky grin on his face, the kind he wears when he gets a good idea. 

"Now? At 3am? Are you crazy?" 

"Nope, come on, you can borrow my coat." The idea is stupid, and it's going to be freezing, but Galo's smile is charming and Lio has agreed with a  _ fine _ before he has time to think about it. 

They suit up into as many layers as they can and pack a blanket into the seat before speeding off into the night. The skies are clear, and the further they go out from the city, the more the stars come out. 

The destination is a familiar one: the ice lake where they discovered the lab. The lab was in ruins and unsalvageable, since water poured in after they left, so it's returning to the state it was in before. With winter coming up, the ice is solid, albeit the levels lower than before, and reflects bits of the sky in undisturbed patches. It's beautiful.

Galo gets out the blanket and opens it up for Lio, who slides in, eager to warm up. 

"What's up?" Galo asks when they're settled in Galo de Lion's dumpling form. 

Lio thinks about how to word it, but comes up empty. "Everything I've done, and I'm still so far from anything." 

"Yeah, I guess, if your goal was for the burnish to live in peace with the rest of us." Galo agrees, to Lio's surprise. He was half expecting a speech about believing in himself, or being happy about what he has achieved. 

"I thought you said we could?" Lio is choosing to be contrary in an attempt to stall any confessions.

"That was ages ago! And I didn't know you guys as well as I do now!" Galo puffs up, indignant, making Lio laugh. "I know how hard it is to unlearn something you've always believed."

Lio hums in agreement, but the tone has shifted again from being playful to something more melancholy. 

"You've done really well," he says quietly, leaning into Galo and tilting his head up so that he can see his face. "Kray Foresight tricked a lot of people."

"He did. He was my hero, you know? I wanted to be him." Galo admits, words soft and voice softer. "But him turning out the way he did… it scares me to think of myself becoming that person now. He was so full of anger, but I still don't totally hate him. He still made me who I am." 

Lio clasps Galo's hands in his own, gently squeezing in reassurance. He's not good at feelings and things, so this is all he can offer. 

"I hate Kray Foresight with every fiber of my being," Lio states, and Galo barks a laugh in surprise. "I'm glad he got you where you were, but listen to me Galo Thymos, the only person who made you is yourself."

"I guess you're right," Galo tilts his head side to side contemplating, "Doesn't feel like it though." 

"What happened to your Burning Soul?" 

"Still there!" Galo says with enthusiasm, excited at the mention of his soul, "Nothing can put me out, but…"

"Hm?"

"You're less… fwooom fwoom?" Galo says intelligently, using his hands to help him explain by wriggling his fingers. 

"Try again." Lio frowns, having a feeling what Galo means but wanting to confirm.

"You're less," Galo tries again, grabbing the air. "Fire! You're less firey now." 

"Well, yes, that would be because I'm not burnish anymore." Lio deadpans, but he knows that Galo is trying to say all the same. 

"When was the last time you called me an idiot, even? Everyone's worried." 

Lio raises an eyebrow; the idea that people are talking behind his back isn't a new one, but he's surprised that he's been a topic at Mad Rescue. 

"You've been so tired and busy lately." Galo pouts.

"I've been taking more breaks like you wanted," Lio already feels like he's not doing anything on most days even if he knows it's untrue cognitively.

"Not enough, clearly." He murmurs. Lio shrugs and draws Galo's arms around him, because he doesn't have a response for that. It's not like he's trying to run himself into the ground, he's just been running at max capacity for so long that anything less feels wrong. 

"How am I supposed to sleep a full night if you're kidnapping me in the middle of the night?" He teases instead, trying to steer the conversation away from bearing his heart. 

Galo gives him a skeptical look in return, "You say that like you were going to sleep." 

Which is a fair point, but he didn't want to admit that. "But you could have," he says quietly. 

"I could have, but you're more important than a few hours of sleep." Galo emphasises this point by squeezing Lio with a too-enthusiastic hug that Lio tries to squirm out of. 

"Now we'll both be tired tomorrow." He complains when his struggles prove ineffective. Unfortunately for Lio, most of his power was in his will and in the promare, and Galo is entirely muscle. 

"Too bad. We're here now." 

"What if I'm tired? You can't take me home if I'm asleep and can't hold on." Lio asks, the  _ home _ slipping out. It doesn't escape unnoticed, instead adding fuel to Galo's fire and he gets another squeeze which takes the rest of the air out of his lungs. "Idiot, I need to breathe, fuck," 

"Sorry!" Galo laughs and lets go, but not entirely, keeping Lio circled in warmth and resting a chin on his head. "You squish too easily. Ever tried drinking milk to get taller?" 

"I'm lactose intolerant you  _ imbecile _ ." Lio growls without much heat. He is not that sensitive his size, in fact it works to his advantage when people underestimate him, but that doesn't mean he likes it when his height is made fun of. 

"But you eat chocolate!" Galo gasps, scandalised at the idea. "And, and cheese! From the pizza!" 

"I'm not that intolerant. You can hardly be picky when you're on the run, anyway." Lio shrugs, not seeing the issue. 

"I can't believe you." Galo whines, shaking Lio again. 

"I don't understand, how does this affect you in any way?" 

"I bet it's why you're so grumpy all the time." 

"I am not  _ grumpy all the time. _ " Lio huffs, pointedly looking away from Galo and refusing to respond further to his ribbing.

Galo seems content to let the conversation lie, shaking his leg for something to do as they watch the sky. 

They make idle conversation until the sky lightens, heralding the sun. Galo has started to yawn every other sentence, and Lio had resorted to single syllable words to convey his thoughts, which are mainly  _ cold _ and _ ooh sunrise _ .

"We should probably go home." Galo stretches, scratching his head absently. "Before I'm unsafe to drive."

"Mmhmm," Lio agrees intelligently, not moving. 

"Come on." Galo picks him up, making Lio grumble about the loss of warmth, and dumps him on the ground next to the bike as he puts everything away and gets their riding gear back out.

They somehow manage to make it back in one piece, early enough to be sneaking back in without anyone noticing. It puts them in a silly mood, Galo humming some tune or another as the soundtrack to them quietly getting back to their room, and Lio is giggling softly by the time they get into bed. 

Both tired, but not ready to sleep just yet, they resort to a poorly executed tickle fight which ends up with Galo tipping backwards onto the floor and Lio laughing so hard he can't breathe. 

The sun has fully risen and is streaming through the blinds in stripes of warm light, framing Galo's face like a halo. Lio pauses in batting him with a pillow, breath stolen. 

Galo surges upwards in Lio's distraction, grabbing a pillow if his own and hitting Lio over the head with it as revenge, and the moment is lost. 

They tumble backwards, onto the bed proper and agree on a truce. Lio drifts away easily, exhausted but warm and content.

Work on the settlement is started shortly after Ashar takes the reins. Lio is glad to have something to do again (other than visit the complex and get his ear chewed off), and he's always been better at physical tasks so helping out on the construction site is like a breath of fresh air. 

Galo is also very enthusiastic to be carrying beams and playing with the mechs: Lucia made him a Matoi-Multi-Tool which is definitely not standard equipment, but Lio can admit it's pretty awesome. It's a large mop-like stick that can transform into a shovel (for digging) or a fork (for lifting). It's not uncommon to see a slightly more souped up construction mech prancing across the site waving a spear. 

The plans were made months ago, making construction a pretty seamless process. Most of the builders are ex-burnish who are excited at finally having a place to go, and Lio is happy to see so many people excited to contribute. There are also non-burnish helping out, contracted by the city, but the enthusiasm is contagious and they seem to be working diligently too. 

He and Galo take lunch together in the mech bay, half because it's quiet during the day when most of the mechs are out in use and half because they get mobbed in the cafeteria by people who recognise them (which is everyone), and want them to do things (which they won't have time to do). Instead, they faff around flicking crumbs at each other and borrowing the remaining mechs for stunts like Galo de Lion mk 2, which consists of two on top of each other holding Galo's construction Matoi. 

Sometimes Gueira and Meis join them, if all of them happen to not have a shift on that day, and although it's clear they come for Lio's company rather than Galo's, they end up getting sucked up by his charisma anyway. 

It's… Nice. Normal, almost, in a way that's unfamiliar to Lio. His childhood is fuzzy, and he reckons life must have been normal for him back then, but he can not compare to something he does not remember. While being burnish had made his life difficult, there had been a normality in that his experience is one shared by many with the same fate. 

The normality born from pressure and fear is not the same as the one he is experiencing now, where he wakes up warm in the morning, never going hungry, and socialising with people he can call his friends. 

Ignis had asked, a few weeks after he had moved into the headquarters, if he could see himself joining the team. At the time, Lio had been unsure but bluffed an affirmative and became part of something he thought would be temporary, but now he can't imagine it any other way. 

Galo had been over the moon, excited by no longer being the newbie (and to have three juniors, no less, because Lio and his generals were a package deal), and they celebrated with an obscene amount of pizza even though Lio, Gueira, and Meis had spent their time sitting awkwardly in a corner listening to the chatter from everyone else. 

It was before Gueira and Meis trusted anyone, but Lio's trust in Burning Rescue 3 was enough to keep them from bolting and dispersing into the wind. Back before they bonded with Galo over their shared love of Lio, to his utter embarrassment. 

They still get told off occasionally for sharing rooms, since the dorms are singles, but it's never with any heat. It's generally accepted that Burning Rescue 3 is slightly larger than the other units now. 

Today, Galo is taking them both home early to make their shift at the Burning Rescue. Aina's on desk with Heris keeping her company, which means Gueira and Meis are probably holed up in their room. 

Lio debates going up to join them, but Galo is animatedly telling Aina about the construction Galo de Lion and using him as a prop. Not that he's doing anything other than sitting on Galo's shoulders, but it's not like he can just leave - he's actually up pretty high. 

Heris is looking at him when she thinks he isn't paying attention, except at this height he sees all. 

"Lio," she says when they accidentally make eye contact, and it's surprising enough that Galo also stops in the middle of his sentence to do a double take. 

Unfortunately, this flusters Heris, and Aina slaps him on the arm. 

"Don't be rude." She scolds.

"Sorry!" He picks Lio off his shoulders and places him gently in front of Heris with a pat on the head, which he absolutely did not need to do, and now Lio is flustered too.

"Yes?" Lio clears his throat, hoping to disperse some of the embarrassment Galo inflicted. 

"Ah, well, my proposal for providing prosthetics as part of the city health system was accepted today, and I wanted to speak to you about volunteers from the ex-burnish." Heris says, in a manner not unlike how she occasionally presents tech talks. "The proposal is and always was intended to make up for the fallout from the Parnassus engine, so ideally we would like to give your people the chance first."

Not what he was expecting, Lio doesn't know how to respond right away. On one hand, this is excellent news. On the other, this is an incredibly sticky situation where the people who would benefit most from Heris's help would absolutely not trust her, and barely trust him. 

"That's excellent news." He starts carefully, "I'll see if I can find any interest." 

"Excellent!" Heris claps her hands. "Although, please do not mention my name; it will mostly be handled by my team, and I don't want it to look like a publicity stunt."

"That's very good, actually, but who should I direct them to in that case?" He's pleasantly surprised she has thought that far forward. It makes the job of finding people easier by magnitudes. 

"Stefica Hafne, she is in charge of the project." Heris pulls out a business card out of her back pocket, handing it over. "Here's her details. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to start atoning." She bows when she's done talking, and Lio gestures for her to stand back up. 

"Thank you for working so hard, we appreciate it." Lio says diplomatically. "You've done more than I ever expected." The fact that he did not expect anything hangs in the air, and Heris looks down in shame.

"I know."

"Hey, Lio, she's trying to be nice." Aina butts in, but Heris shakes her head.

"No, it's alright. I understand trust is not formed overnight." 

"I am sorry, but you must understand that what Heris did is not something I can ever forgive. She understands, and I respect her for that, but you can not expect us to suddenly be friends." Lio says, harsher than he intends, and Aina recoils physically. 

"I'm- I'm sorry, sometimes I forget-" Aina stutters, guilt washing over her face.

"That's because you never felt it, you weren't there. Even when the engine was overloaded deliberately, the strain on some people was way too much-" Lio cuts himself off, realising that he's gotten himself so worked up he's crying. "Sorry,"

"Hey…" Galo finally speaks, trying to turn Lio towards him, but Lio is stubborn and refuses to move just yet, and a private part of him wants Aina and Heris to see how viscerally the experience had hurt him. 

"I appreciate your efforts, Heris. I'll let people know." He says before turning to Galo and tugging them away. 

"Uh- bye, Heris, Aina, you know what to do if you get a call." Galo calls over his head as they go upstairs, into the safety of their room. 

Once inside with the door closed, Galo sits Lio down on the edge of the bed and kneels in front of him, gently wiping away tears as they come. 

Galo is muttering nonsense in an attempt to distract him, talking about something he wants Lucia to build for him that will make his mech turn even cooler, and the picture he paints in Lio's head makes him snort grossly. 

"Idiot, how are you going to use two swords to put out fires?" He says between blowing his nose with a tissue Galo had handed him.

"They're ICE SWORDS, duh. Were you not listening?" Galo makes an X with his arms to demonstrate his point, because that's what people do with swords apparently. 

"And that will stop a burning building?" 

"Yep!" Galo nods, confident in both idea and execution. 

"Hm. You'll just have to show me next time." Lio muses, eyes no longer leaking but exhausted all the same. 

There's a brief silence as Galo waits to see if he wants to talk, or continue to be distracted, before Lio speaks again. 

"I'll have to apologise to Aina later." He sighs. To his knowledge, there was some friction between the sisters that they've been trying to overcome more recently, hence the increased presence of Heris at headquarters. He doesn't want to get in the way of that, but he also can't just forgive that easily, even if she hasn't done anything to him personally. She didn't put anyone in the engine, just oversaw human experimentation and gave it the okay- and fuck, he's getting mad just thinking about it again. 

"I think she gets it." Galo says, moving off the floor to sit next to him on the bed. "It's easy to separate her-sister-Heris and Kray's-lead-researcher-Heris. Makes it easier for her to reconcile with her as a sister." 

"They're the same people though." Lio mumbles, leaning into Galo who pulls him closer with an arm wrapped around him. 

"Yeah, but it's easier to pretend they're not. Don't get me wrong, I'm still super mad too! And I think it's okay if you don't forgive her, you don't have to." Galo says, "No one would blame you."

"Idiot," Lio says, not knowing how else to respond. He knows that Galo's always been extremely empathetic and picked up people's emotional cues - it's part of the reason why Lio respects him as much as he does - but he's caught off guard by it all the same. Maybe it's because he looks like an idiot. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." He says with a pat. "You call me an idiot, but here you are moping again thinking you have to face everything yourself."

"I'm not moping." Lio says, finally with some feeling. He moves to get up, but Galo doesn't let him. "What?"

"You're just going to go down and get angry again." He says, using his size as an unfair advantage to keep Lio sat down. 

"We're on the clock." Lio argues instead, when struggling proves futile. "It's not like I can avoid Heris for the rest of my life."

"We can hear the alarm from here, we'll be fine." Galo insists, and uses his free arm to look for the tablet. Lio gives up, because Galo is stubborn and he doesn't really want to go back down anyway. So long as he's doing something, he doesn't have to think about the engine, or the burnish, or whatever. 

Lio squirms until Galo lets him go, half an eye on him to make sure he doesn't escape, and uses his new found freedom to drag a blanket over. It's getting cold enough to bed two blankets at night, and Lio chooses the lighter one for movie time.

Galo smirks at his blanket burrito, which only makes Lio scowl at him. Just for that, the burrito is for Lio only, and he hisses when Galo tries to wrestle some of it out to use. Galo then pouts and pulls out the puppy eyes, so Lio has no choice but to open the doors to burrito town, now with a population of two. 

They argue briefly over what to watch, before deciding on some Japanese show with people who turn into giant robots (?) fighting monsters, because Galo always decides what they watch so what's the point in even asking Lio?

"This is nice," Lio admits quietly, but Galo hears it all the same and replies with a self satisfied grin. 

"Anytime."

Galo gets up early the next morning, and Lio tries to keep the warmth in the bed, but it dissipates with Galo's departure and he's left half asleep and cold, staying in bed more out of spite than actually wanting to sleep.

His phone beeps from the other side of the room, telling him that he has things to do, and he reluctantly gets out of bed to shut it up. 

Everyone seems to have already swept through the kitchen in the morning, so Lio is left with bottom coffee (that is: coffee left at the bottom of the jug which is full of bits and too strong for most mere mortals) and a granola bar for breakfast. 

He idly chews on the bar while composing an email to the representatives at the complex - Kahi and Sula - and another for Lina and Ashar, with the full details which he omits from the first. 

Aina comes in when he's just finishing the coffee looking guilty. He invites her to sit down at the table with a tilt of the head, and she accepts. 

"I'm sorry," Aina says, "I didn't mean to diminish the experiences of the burnish who suffered from my sister's creations." She's cordial and polite, and sounds like she's been practicing. It's unlike her. 

"I'm sorry too, for being harsh." Lio tries, but it doesn't sound quite right, "I know she did it under orders, but it's… hard."

"No, it's fine, I get it. It's just, she's also my sister you know? Always looked out for me." Aina says, sounding more like herself. "Actually, it's hard for me to wrap my head around what she did." 

"And it's hard for me too, to see her as your sister." Lio points out, which makes Aina look guilty all over again, shaking her head. 

"No, no, not like a, like it's in any way comparable, to uh, you know, but I'm-" she grabs the air, as if physically pulling words would help. "Ugh, I'm sorry, that's all I wanted to say. I don't want to make excuses for her, or me."

"Thanks." Lio says, a tiny smile forming at her antics. "I forgive you."

"Just let me know if I put my foot in my mouth again, alright?" She huffs, looking pleased all the same. 

"Of course." 

"Good. Right. I'm sure you're busy." She gets up to go, and Lio nods. 

"Have a nice day," he bids, pulling his phone back out to finish the emails. 

"You too."

Lina is also wary of Heris's proposal, but is willing to trust Lio on it under the explicit instructions not to let her Ardebit name anywhere near it. Her trial was done on the down-low since she provided a lot of evidence against the Foresight Foundation, so it's not common knowledge of how much she was involved in the Parnassus project, but she had appeared publicly before about warp technology and it doesn't take a genius to connect the dots. 

Lio also hears back from Sula, stating her interest, and she also doesn't call him any names which is an upgrade from the last time they talked. He passes on Stefica Hafne's details and mentally marks it as done. 

He's still going back and forth with Lina when Galo gets back from his morning workout, sweaty and stinky but somehow still Lio still finds him hopelessly endearing when he comes to say hi. He does draw the line at a hug, and he shoos Galo off to shower instead, ignoring any complaints. 

Today is the first Sunday of the month, which means it's Galo and Lio's monthly trip to the orphanage, and Lio has been ready since he got downstairs for breakfast. 

The first time was a complete accident; Lio was at the orphanage to help settle in some of the ex-burnish children who had newly moved in, when Galo showed up for his visit. It was a little awkward, because Galo hadn't mentioned his upbringing (even though in retrospect, the entire Kray thing should have made it obvious to Lio), but it was surprisingly good to have him around. The children love him, and match his endless energy to run and chase and play. 

They made a habit of it after that, Lio using the excuse to check up on the kids from the settlement to tag along. 

Galo charges down the stairs, hair still wet and missing his shirt, but Lio turns him back around to get dressed properly. It's starting to get really cold, and though idiots don't get sick, he doesn't want to push their luck. His run-in with pneumonia in summer has made him extremely paranoid of ever being cold, and he doesn't want Galo to suffer it too.

They set off after he wrestles a coat onto Galo, in three layers and a scarf himself. The orphanage is a large brick building, old enough to look out of place next to the shiny new high-rises of Promepolis. 

The matron, an elderly woman called Joze Smyth, greets them at the door when they ring the bell. Galo is bouncing on his heels, excited to get in, telling Mrs Smyth about anything and everything. It's a good thing Lio knows that she's used to it, because even he can't keep up with all of Galo's chatter sometimes. 

They're attacked by children when they get into the common room proper, a small group of them leaping on Galo (who catches them) and Lio (who is bowled over). 

"Ha! Good job defeating the Liosaur!" Galo cheers, and the kids hanging off his limbs do the same. 

"Rarrr…" Lio groans, getting up slowly, and the kids on him run off screeching. "I am not so easy to defeat!" 

"He tricked us!" Galo gasps, and one of the kids on his arm scrambles up to whisper in his ear. Galo nods, and glances over at Lio briefly, letting him know that he's about to do something stupid. Lio rolls his eyes, and gets up off the floor with another growl, rolling up his sleeves. 

"Yaaah!" The child screams, and Galo launches him at Lio like a cannonball. Several things happen at once: Lio catches the kid, five others run to Galo chanting  _ 'me too, me too' _ , and the matron clears her throat. Everyone but Lio turns to look at her with guilty looks, and Lio is mildly impressed that she has all these kids under control so quickly. 

"Please refrain from causing any bodily harm, Galo. You're never too old to be disciplined." She says, sweet despite the threat. 

"Hah," Lio snickers at Galo's horrified expression, but the matron then turns to look at him and he schools his face to be as neutral as possible.

"And I may not have raised you personally, Lio Fotia, but you are not exempt from Time Out." 

"Hah!" Galo points a finger at Lio, even though Lio doesn't feel particularly threatened. "Time Out's no joke! If you get put on the step, everyone looks at you and judges."

"Oh no, the step." Lio says with a shrug, and puts the child he had caught down. He doesn't understand why he was scolded, it's not like he dropped the five year old. 

The kid goes off screaming, and the others all start chanting for their turn again. "Go on then." Lio gestures to Galo, for him to throw again.

"But no bodily harm!" He protests, but Lio doesn't seem phased. 

"I'll catch them easy, no harm done." Lio opens his arms, ready, but also as a challenge. Galo looks between the matron and Lio, and seems to decide that the challenge is not one that can be turned down. 

They spend the next ten minutes throwing giggling kids around, and to Lio's credit, he doesn't drop any. It's only when the older ones hear a commotion and come into the common room also wanting a turn when the matron puts her foot down and brings it to a stop. 

Lio is getting tired anyway, so he bows out gracefully, following the matron to an office for their catch up, leaving Galo in charge of the rabble. 

Mrs Smyth's office is small, and full of pictures. Lio thinks he even sees a small Galo on the back wall. The chairs are comfy, and she offers him tea before they start talking properly about the ex-burnish children. 

After, Lio asks for some time to see the ones who were not in the common room, which she agrees to easily. He's familiar with their rooms now, so he bids her goodbye in her office and goes upstairs to their rooms. He does peep in to see if Galo has any interest in coming with him, but Galo is in the middle of some kind of storytelling and looks very busy. 

There are around twenty ex-burnish children here, which frankly is a disappointingly low number considering how many children there were in the settlement. Alas, freeze bullets were made for burnish adults, so a lot of the younger burnish kids, or even non-burnish kids of burnish parents, didn't even make it to the engine. 

The thought makes Lio's blood boil, and he has to stop at the top of the stairs to calm down before continuing. There is nothing left to be done now, those responsible are locked away, never to see the light of day again. 

Everyone gathers in the canteen for a late lunch, including Lio and Galo, who are planning to leave afterwards. It's loud and messy, and Lio sneaks bits of his plate to the children who give him puppy eyes (the ex-burnish know how to play him like a fiddle, and old habits die hard). 

He thanks the matron again for taking in so many of them, when they look like they're already so busy, and he's dismissed with a shake of the hand. She does this job because she believes in equal opportunities in all people, burnish or not, and Lio is reminded that she had previously hidden burnish children in the past for as long as she could, so ex-burnish who don't spontaneously combust is easy in comparison. 

Galo is as upset at the prospect of leaving as the children are, and Lio has to physically peel tiny hands holding him off so they can leave, only the promise that they'll be back next month placating them. 

To Lio's surprise, Galo takes them further into the city instead of back to the headquarters. He parks them outside of a small park surrounding a cathedral, and is excitedly bouncing while Lio removes his helmet. 

"What are we doing here?" He asks, looking up at the cathedral in all its stained-glass-and-spire-y glory. "I didn't take you as a particularly religious person."

"No, not the church, the park!" Galo waves his hands at the park, which is also in the direction of the cathedral, which is why it's confusing. 

"Okay…?" Lio tilts his head with a frown, not really understanding, but slides next to Galo anyway as they enter through the gates. 

Admittedly, it's a nice park; well kept lawns with trees dotted about on them, bushes lining the pathways, and vines running up the fences enclosing the space. Lio isn't sure if he's ever seen such a variety of plants before, even after sleeping rough in forests and woods. 

There are small stalls set up in the square in front of the cathedral, each selling trinkets or food of some kind, and it fills the air with a warm cinnamon smell. 

"Aw man, we just ate." Galo complains, seeing the stall selling tiny doughnuts. 

"It's not like you can eat ten pizzas in one sitting. I'm sure you can fit more in." Lio says easily, eyes narrowing at Galo's trim torso. How he can fit so much food in, he'll never know.

"Yeah but you can't!" Galo pats Lio on the head, "You eat like a tiny bird." 

Lio grabs his hand and pulls it away from his head, but doesn't deny eating little. It's a habit formed by never really knowing when he will next be able to get food, and others needing it more. 

"I always have space for dessert." He says instead, keeping hold of Galo's hand and watching his cheeks flush red as he realises what Lio is doing. 

"I- Yeah, sure, okay." Galo stammers intelligently, but he grips onto Lio just as tight. "Doughnuts then?"

"Lead the way." Lio stuffs both their hands into Galo's coat pocket, mostly because it's warmer, but also because it's funny making Galo flustered. It was his idea to go on a date (that's what this is, right?), so Lio is going to take full advantage of it. 

Galo buys four doughnuts in outrageous flavours and Lio gets a glazed one rolled in cinnamon sugar, because he doesn't trust how brightly coloured the icing is. It's still warm when Lio bites into the too-sweet pastry, which makes it taste like heaven. He must be pulling a face, because when he looks over to Galo, the other looks away quickly, embarrassed.

They meander the rest of the stalls, poking at the candles and trinkets, and picking up bites to eat. Galo tries one of everything, while Lio pockets a pouch of candied nuts for later. 

The sun is starting to set when they settle onto a bench, a warm drink each (Galo has a hot chocolate monstrosity with flakes and marshmallows and cream, and Lio has a cup of spiced tea). 

"I'm glad you got that Ashar lady to help you." Galo says, bumping Lio's shoulder. "You're way more fun now."

Lio raises an eyebrow at Galo, "What is that supposed to mean?" 

"I mean, you seem less stressed." Galo shrugs with his answer, which is not particularly helpful because he has no idea what not being stressed is like. Even now he has a hundred and one worries, but Lio supposes that he has had more time lately to hang out, and his workload is significantly smaller.

"Helps that she attends meetings and stuff for me. I think Lina likes her better too." Not having to deal with people who make him very angry all the time is a massive weight off his shoulders, and finally having something to show for what he's been fighting for is satisfying. 

"No offence, but you're kinda scary when you go out for official meetings." Galo pauses, looking at Lio's scowl from his comment, "Actually, you're just kinda scary."

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Lio prods him in the ribs, still frowny. 

Galo laughs, and squishes Lio's cheek with one hand to try and dispel the frown. "Hm. You're right. Good thing I like scary."

"You can come with me the next time I go to the complex then." Lio bats him away, pouting. 

"No thanks. Once was enough, and I don't think me being there helps." Galo says, "I don't want to give them more ammo to use against you."

He did have to suffer Kahi bringing up his non-burnish knight for the next few visits after the one Galo sat in on, none too politely. "So considerate." 

"That's me." He says, and they lapse into a comfortable silence watching the crowds. 

"Not bad for a first date," Lio says, leaning into Galo.

Galo hums in agreement, and then the words sink in and he stiffens. "That's not what this was supposed to be!" He declares, entirely too loudly. 

"No? A romantic hand-in-hand stroll through a winter park with your platonic bedmate?" Lio teases, "Here I was thinking you were being cute." 

"I just thought you would appreciate a change in scenery." Galo pouts, and it's  _ cute _ . "We basically live at work, and the only time you really leave is for other work." 

"That's fair. But are you sure it's not a date?"

Galo thinks for a few seconds, and shakes his head as if it would dispel his embarrassment. "I mean, if you want it to be." 

"Do you?" Lio asks, quietly and hopefully. 

"Of course! I like you." He answers, and now it's Lio's turn to be embarrassed. Galo is so easy with his emotions, it somehow catches him off guard each time. It's not like Lio particularly represses his own emotions, but he doesn't have a lot of time to process this so it normally gets shelved for later until either he can, or it explodes. 

"Then it is." Lio says, and Galo smiles wide and pulls Lio into his side properly, spilling both their drinks in the process. "Careful, idiot," Lio chides, but does not pull away. 

"No! I'm never going to let go!" 

"Fine," More of Lio's drink leaves his cup, and he mourns it briefly before taking advantage of their proximity and leaning up to give Galo a peck on the cheek. 

Galo gasps and stops his aggressive cuddling, looking at Lio's pleased smile and eyes drifting down to his lips. 

"You missed!" Galo says, which Lio disagrees with because he did not, but Galo leans down this time and catches his him with a proper kiss. 

It's nothing like their first; Lio is entirely lucid this time, and while one could argue that their 'first time' was technically CPR, Lio highly doubts that it was standard, because there was definitely mild making out involved. This time, it's soft, deliberate, and Lio feels a giddiness in his chest threatening to bubble out. 

"Is this okay?" Galo asks when they part, looking solely at Lio in a way that makes him feel exposed and vulnerable.

He swallows, thinking about what it would mean to be ready to give what they have a name - but his spirits are high, and he hasn't found a reason not to in the months they've waited - so he nods.

"Yeah. I like you too, I think I'm ready for a relationship." Lio adverts his eyes as he finishes, despite already knowing the answer, and Galo cups his chin to turn him back face-to-face. 

"Get ready for my  _ entire _ burning soul! In a way no one else has ever seen!" It takes Lio seconds to process the most embarrassing thing he's ever heard, unsure of just how to respond to a statement like… That. And Galo is so unabashed it should be illegal to talk like that.

"Just boyfriend is fine, I think." He says, trying not to think too hard about it. 

"Boyfriends it is then."

There are no fireworks or soul consuming flame that appears with the decision, but there doesn't need to be. Galo pulls him in again, for another kiss, and it's enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for reading! There's a few loose ends to tie up, probably in later bits, but I wanted this to mainly be about starting the journey of healing after the entire, glorious, traumatic wreck of the movie. And also soft boys. I hope you enjoyed this with me ♥️✨✨

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


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